[Exclusive] "Sold Out Everywhere" Museum Goods Boom Leads to Individual Incentives of Up to 10% of Annual Salary

National Museum Cultural Foundation Expects Incentives
Museum Goods Craze Drives Five Years of Soaring Sales
Incentives Restricted to Facility Expenses, No Personal Rewards
Strong Calls for Individual Rewards to Boost Morale
Individual Reward

Thanks to the global success of "K-Pop Demon Hunters" and the sold-out craze for museum goods, employees of the National Museum Cultural Foundation-which carries out and supports cultural projects at national museums across the country-are expected to receive individual incentives of up to 10% of their annual salary next year. This marks the first time that both institutional and individual incentives will be provided among institutions that receive government compensation for operating losses.

Popular goods sold out at the National Museum Cultural Foundation online mall. Screenshot from the Cultural Foundation website

Previously, institutional incentives were restricted to facility-related expenses, such as construction costs, and were criticized for having little impact on employee morale. However, with the inclusion of a provision for individual incentives in next year’s budget proposal, employees will now be directly rewarded for their performance.

According to materials released on September 30 by the office of Min Hyungbae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, the personnel budget for the National Museum Cultural Foundation has been increased by 11.7% for next year. This measure is intended to provide individual incentives to employees who contributed to the success of the museum goods, making it possible for them to receive up to 10% of their annual salary as a reward starting next year.

A representative from Assemblyman Min’s office explained, “The National Museum Cultural Foundation is the first among government-compensated institutions to receive incentives. However, the institutional incentive distributed this year did not directly benefit individual employees,” adding, “We have established a clear system of rewards for performance to boost motivation.” These government-compensated institutions are operated so that the government covers deficits and recoups surpluses.

Earlier this year, the National Museum Cultural Foundation received an institutional incentive of approximately 450 million won. According to regulations, such institutions can receive up to 50% of their “special surplus” as an institutional incentive. Last year, the foundation’s surplus amounted to 2.121 billion won, of which 900 million won was recognized as a special surplus. This refers to additional income generated by exceeding annual targets.

However, institutional incentives have been consistently criticized for failing to serve their intended purpose of rewarding performance, as they can only be used for facility expenses such as construction, space acquisition, and purchase costs. In fact, the 450 million won distributed this year did not go to individual employees.

The same criticism was raised during last month’s settlement meeting of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee. Assemblyman Min stated, “Museum goods are generating a huge response, but there are no incentives for the public officials involved,” and suggested, “We should consider awarding year-end bonuses to high-performing employees, similar to the National Tax Service.” In practice, the National Tax Service provides internal rewards to employees who win tax lawsuits.

Model of Seokguram Grotto. Provided by the National Museum Cultural Foundation

A Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official stated, “We are focused on establishing the principle of individual rewards for performance,” adding, “We will ensure that the National Museum Cultural Foundation and other institutions can boost motivation through clear performance-based compensation.” This individual incentive is allocated exclusively for next year’s budget, separate from this year’s achievements, and will be finalized if the National Assembly passes the budget bill.

Meanwhile, sales of the foundation’s museum goods have steadily increased over the past five years. Sales, which stood at about 6.5 billion won in 2021, surpassed 21 billion won in 2024. In the first half of this year, sales reached a record high of 11.5 billion won, up 34% from the same period last year, and if this trend continues, the foundation is expected to comfortably exceed the 20 billion won mark for the second consecutive year.